Clarice and Alline have both talked about something they remember about the morning after Frank was born. They said that Aunt Lola, who was staying with Mom, showed the baby to them and said, “Now just look at your little blue-eyed brother.” Both of them also recall that Frank had curly hair right on top of his head even when he was very small. One memory that Hazel told me about happened when Frank was just a toddler. She said one day he got a new pair of overalls. The girls thought he looked cute, so they wanted to show him off. She remembered that they led him out across the field (in front of Ronald’s house today) to Grandma Williams’ house (still standing) to let Grandma see her little grandson. They were very proud of him.
One of my earliest memories of Frank was when he and Hazel were going to Kings Mountain High School. Some days it seemed like they were gone a long time, for they didn’t come home until way after dark. I think it must have happened when Frank had a ballgame at night after school. Or it might have been when the school bus would break down, and they would have to walk most of the way home. Mom would be worried about them, of course, but she knew it was not unusual for the school bus to break down. Hazel told me that Mom would keep their supper warm on the heating stove in the front room. She remembered how good it was to have that warm food after coming home so late. Hazel told me she skipped lunch, so she must have been very hungry by then.
In Ronald’s story about Frank last year, you may remember that he talked about their having a party for Frank before he went into the Navy. I remember that party, too, although I didn’t know my future sister-in-law (Mary Lou) was there, also. I thought the party was wonderful. I was even more impressed with the music than the ice cream, and we didn’t get ice cream in the summer very often! I remember that Dad’s car was parked under one of the big maple trees (near where the table for our gatherings these days). The part I remember most clearly was some pretty girl…..I think it must have been Marcella but I didn’t know her name then…..was leaning up against Dad’s car and singing. I thought she could really sing. There was some one there with a guitar and maybe other instruments. I had never heard “live” music like that before. It was wonderful. I wanted the singing and playing to go on forever.
As Ronald says, Frank always had 4-H projects. I don’t know anybody who loved farming more than Frank. David says he remembers the pigs that Frank had down at the old barn (no longer there) in the Elgie field (near the old, old house). David says he thinks the pig wa a Poland China, white with black spots. He liked to go with Frank to feed the pigs, but Mom always warned Frank to watch out for David because she knew the sow could hurt him. Garnett says, like Ronald, he has seen the old fence that is still there. It was an expensive woven fence. Garnett says he thinks he remembers that Dad told him at one time Frank’s sow had as many as 20 piglets.
Even long after Frank was home from the war and long after David was grown and home from service himself, he remembers how Frank continued to love farming and continued to work hard at it even while he also had a full-time job teaching school. Late one evening David was helping Frank over in the “new ground”, a field behind the Warfield house that Donald now owns. They were taking up hay. They had those rectangular bales, many, many, maybe as many as 100, David says, stacked on Frank’s wagon. They were at last loaded, and Frank started driving the tractor out of the field toward the new hill, planning to head up the ridge road and go over to Calvary Ridge where his farm was at that time. But as Frank drove just a little way, David said he watched as those bales started sliding off the lower side of the wagon. Almost every last bale. David said he will never forget the look on Frank’s face. He must have been discouraged and he must have been very tired. Frank had already taught a full day of school, and had done several more hours of work; it was about to get dark; and he still needed to get the hay to his farm on Calvary Ridge where his sons were waiting
to help him unload it. But Frank didn’t give up. He and David reloaded every bale of hay; Frank got the wagon out of the field carefully and up the mud hole hill and up the ridge road and around the knob road to Mt. Olive and down Calvary Ridge Road and down that side road that is now named “Williams” and he and his sons got that super load of hay unloaded that night. (I bet Frank never dreamed that some day that road would be named after him. But can you think of anybody more deserving?) There were many times when Frank and his whole family worked very late.
As Frank grew older it seemed as though he matured even more spiritually. His faith was always central to him. Do you remember when he prayed in church that the whole church would become so very quiet? Remember? People loved him and had deep respect for him, I think. He prayed from the bottom of his soul, it seemed like, and with all his being. I remember at the last home coming that Frank attended when Donald asked Frank to say the blessings, I was afraid for him because sometimes his memory was not what it used to be. But Donald knew best. And once more Frank prayed. He seemed just to reach down deep. And the prayer came. It was beautiful.
I have so many thanks to give to my brother and Marcella, of course. When Bill was overseas and my children were both very small, we stayed wtih Frank and Marcella while I taught school at Liberty for one winter and at Pulaski County High School for another winter. It was probably one of the happiest times of my kids’ early lives. They always had playmates and the very best of care when I had to be away from them. I am grateful to my brother Frank and my dear sister-in-law Marcella and to every one of thier wonderful children, especially for their generosity in sharing their home and their lives. I will always love all of them.